Am I Over-Cleansing My Skin?

Mohammad Diab MD, a dermatologist at Group Health, discusses the potential health consequences that can go along with over-cleansing your skin.

Over-Cleansing Your Skin: What's the Harm?

“A lot of us, we are obsessed with being clean, which is a good thing,” Dr. Diab tells Local 12’s Liz Bonis. “The bad thing, especially for the younger generation, [is that] they like to use really hot showers and shower gels. Both of them are drying to dead skin.” In turn, dry skin may lead to patchy skin and rashes.

During the hot summer months, many people tend to shower more often – sometimes several times a day. In this case, over-cleansing is problematic because it washes away the skin moisture your body naturally creates when you work up a good sweat.

“We have our own bacteria in our own skin that provides defense for our body that teaches our immune system to be good and healthy, so we don’t want to wash and kill those.” he points out.

What Type of Cleanser Should I Use?

On the other hand, he cautions against using harsher anti-bacterial soaps. He says using anti-bacterial soaps throughout the day while your washing your hands – especially if you work in a particular job environment – is okay. But, when it comes to the rest of your skin, for example, your face, “you may be better off using something a little more mild,” he explains.